Song in aid of Quake victims

Youngster Shriram Iyer, who has enthralled music lovers on both sides of the Tasman and India, has just released a song in aid of the earthquake victims in Christchurch and Japan.

Titled, Shaayarana Si, the single track has the triple purpose of creating awareness over the plight of earthquake victims, motivating people to donate towards the relief efforts in New Zealand and Japan and be a source of entertainment.

Shriram said Shaayarana Si aimed to remind humanity of the natural treasures and show more respect to those with who we share the planet, including birds, the flowers, water, mountains, the sky and so on.

Shriram said the response worldwide has been enthusiastic but more needs to be done to mobilise financial resources.

“People can purchase this song online (iTunes) and every dollar received will go to organisations involved in relief works,” he said.

As well as rendering popular Bollywood numbers at local performances, Shriram had his own album of songs called Is Dhundh Mein, released in Mumbai in 2007 by Shankar Mahadevan (of the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy fame), one of the most prolific and successful music maestros of Bollywood.

Outlining heartbreak and separation, it carries songs written, composed and sung by Shriram, and features a duet with Sadhna Sargam, a popular Bollywood playback singer (Indian Newslink, February 1, 2007).

Musicians should do their bit to alleviate the pain and sufferings of others, he said, citing Shaayarana Si as an example.

“While we can do little to stop natural disasters, we must do our best to help those affected by such calamities. This song aims to remind us of the beauty of Mother Nature and that we cannot afford to neglect it. This is a charity initiative and I hope it would receive global patronage,” he said.

Tax Planners, Lyca Mobile, Lemex Print and Indus Age are among the companies supporting this project.